How little calories is too little to do complexes with?

[Tsuki No Neko]

The real question behind this post is in the title: how few calories are too few when it comes to doing the fat loss complexes listed on this site?

Obviously, everyone is going to be different, and I know this site is predominantly male, so let me provide the disclaimer: I am FEMALE. lol

A little back history on me, I'm coming off of a carefully regimented low calorie diet and am currently increasing my calories slowly to get back to something not ridiculous (this was not long term, fyi). I'm currently eating primarily if not all natural and unprocessed foods, the majority of my diet being meats, veg, and fruits, with smaller amounts of whole grains and dairy. According to sources I'm not entirely sure I trust or believe, my BMR is around 1400. I am currently 5'9", 23 years old, and 153 pounds (down from 190).

I'm already raising my calories (because I know it needs to be done), and I'm changing around my routine and I'd really like to add in the Fat Loss Complexes to aid in that final fat cut. But that's I guess where I'm getting some mixed messages from outside sources. What should be the absolute minimum of calories I'm consuming whilst doing those complexes so as to not hurt myself?

I've done pretty well so far to lose mostly fat and only minimal muscle, and honestly I feel great having made the changes I've already made. :) I'm just looking to keep the good results coming, and not set myself back by having my calories too stupid low.


Thanks guys!

[Sean S]

I've had females who lost weight on anywhere from 1200-2000 calories a day depending on their metabolism and activity levels. For someone seeking general fat loss or fitness, I've never had them go under 1200 calories and they've still lost weight. For most females who are pretty active (training 4+ times per week) I've had good luck in the 1500 calorie range.
None of us will know for sure exactly what your intake needs to be, but I would recommend not going below 1200 calories.

[Tsuki No Neko]

I've had females who lost weight on anywhere from 1200-2000 calories a day depending on their metabolism and activity levels. For someone seeking general fat loss or fitness, I've never had them go under 1200 calories and they've still lost weight. For most females who are pretty active (training 4+ times per week) I've had good luck in the 1500 calorie range.
None of us will know for sure exactly what your intake needs to be, but I would recommend not going below 1200 calories.


Understood completely! I'm not even entirely sure what my metabolism is. That's why I felt a kind of general "no lower than" value would be helpful.

Thank you though! You've given me some numbers to crunch on, and I appreciate that. :) Mmm, crunchy . . .

[Droopy12]

Our bodies require a combination of basic nutrients- protein,
carbohydrates, fat, minerals , vitamins, and water. You won't
develop any vitamin or mineral deficiency in two weeks, even on a
starvation diet, but the Scarsdale Medical Diet happens to provide
plenty of nutrients. Protein, carbohydrates, and fats are the big
three nutrients, and all of them come packaged in calories- a fact we
sometimes forget.
The average person's food intake contains approximately 10-15
percent protein, variations of between 40-45 percent fat and 40-50
percent carbohydrates. Fortunately we know that we can make wide
variations in those percentages and still deliver a healthy diet.
The Scarsdale Medical Diet averages 1,000 calories or less per day and averages 43 percent protein, 22.5 percent fat and 34.5 percent carbohydrates.

The body is the product of what it eats. The most obvious and probably the most common nutritional defects are caused by serious calorie imbalance: too few or too many.
If you consume more calories (units of energy) than your age, size, and life style require, you store those calories in the form of fat. If you consume fewer calories than you need, you lose fat because the body uses fat as an energy source when it runs out of calories.
A certain number of calories are needed to sustain the basic body metabolism, which includes such functions as keeping the heart beating, breathing and maintaining a normal body temperature. Beyond that, each of your activities requires calories.
To speed the reducing process, I have cut the fat consumption way down during the Diet period. When the body demands more fat, it pulls it our of the fat storage areas, which are plentiful in the overweight woman and man.

The Scarsdale Medical Diet is LOW fat, LOW carbohydrates, and consequently LOW in caloric content, not NO fat, NO carbohydrates. The person in normal health gets enough complex carbohydrates in the vegetables and fruits on the diet for safe eating. He burns his own excess fat to provide the added energy while reducing.

[Tsuki No Neko]

Why did that seem a little like an advertisement?